Michael Nicholson, 71, earned his first degree in 1963. He has 12 degrees from Western Michigan University.

"I just stayed in school and took menial jobs to pay for the education and just made a point of getting more degrees and eventually I retired so that I could go full-time to school," Nicholson told ABCNews.com.

Since then, he's earned a master's degree in health administration and special education administration from Grand Valley State University. He told MLive this morning that the university waives some of the elective courses.

"I would like to get to 33 or 34. I'm almost there," Nicholson told ABC News. "When I complete that, I'll feel like I've completed my basic education. After that, if I'm still alive -- that would take me to 80 or 81 -- I would then be free to pursue any type of degree."

But unlike many graduates, he has no student debt. "I've paid all my bills on time," Nicholson told the Gazette.